Article
"What Do I Need to Know?"
"What do I need to know?" A simple, but powerful, question to ask at the gemba and beyond. Kelly Moore muses on how this question…
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Article
One Year Later, How Toyota Has Helped Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts
There are few processes that are more critical to get right than those involved in disaster relief. Check out how Jamie Bonini and Lisa Richardson…
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Article
Standardization is a Countermeasure, Never the Goal
"If you're excited about standardized work and standardization, especially if you're new to Lean, please stop and think about the problem that's being solved and…
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Article
Combat Isolation with Productivity by Using HoRenSo – A Communication Structure that Engages People, part one of two
How to make your meetings more productive, the Toyota Way.
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Podcast
Mindfulness and Leading with Respect
Mindfulness is both more essential today than ever, and a foundation for organizational lean excellence. Here John Shook and Mike Orzen explore this theme. “The…
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Article
Feeling the Gemba Magic
After months of work at the gemba with his factory manager helping line workers grapple with problems, CEO Nicolas Chartier realized the true source of…
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Article
The Joys of a Brownfield
“Lean experience teaches us to enjoy and make the most of going to see. Go to the gemba, go there a lot, and learn to…
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Article
How Do I Lead An Existing Lean Initiative as a Newcomer?
Dear Gemba Coach: The head of the lean initiative in our company has left and they gave me the job. I’ve been asked to review our…
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Our technical guys are really resisting the idea of standard work. What should we do?
Dear Gemba Coach: Our technical guys are really resisting the idea of standard work. They believe they each have their own way of working and…
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Are Design Thinking and Lean Thinking the Same?
Dear Gemba Coach: As a practitioner and advocate of design thinking, I’ve been curious about lean, but it seems to me we’re talking about the…
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My CEO, who supported lean, has left and been replaced by a pure finance guy. It doesn't look good for the lean effort. What should I do?
Dear Gemba Coach: My CEO, who supported lean, has left and been replaced by a pure finance guy. It doesn’t look good for the lean…
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As someone who is new to lean, is there something I’m not being told?
Dear Gemba Coach: I’m new to lean, and I find it fascinating. Is there something I’m not being told? Is there an elephant in the…
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Lean Books Roundup
"Several years back, LEI CEO John Shook discussed the need to explore the “frontiers and fundamentals” of lean..." writes Tom Ehrenfeld. "Three recent books reveal…
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Article
The Courage to be Lean
A meaningful purpose is not what you are doing or how you are doing it, argue Joanna McGuffey and Tom Richert. It’s why your team…
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